Japanese Foreign Minister to visit Vietnam from Oct. 10-11
WVR - At the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan Kamikawa Yoko will pay a visit to Viet Nam from October 10-11, 2023.
Latest
 |
| Japanese Foreign Minister Kamikawa Yoko will pay a visit to Viet Nam from October 10-11, 2023. |
Vietnam and Japan established bilateral diplomatic ties on September 21, 1973. During the past 50 years, the relations between the two countries have been strengthening and developing in fields.
They have become important partners of each other, sharing strategic interests.
The bilateral relationship framework has continually been heightened, from a "trusted, long-term stable partnership" (2002) to “Towards a strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia" (2006), then to a "strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia" (2009), and ultimately an "extensive strategic partnership for peace and prosperity in Asia" (2014). The two countries often exchange high-level delegations and convene meetings on the sidelines of international and regional conferences, thereby strengthening the trust between their leaders and setting the course for effective development across all sectors in the bilateral relations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's recent trip to Japan to attend the expanded summit of the Group of Seven (G7) and a working visit to the country from May 19-21 set a new development milestone in the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership. Japan's invitation for Vietnam to attend the expanded G7 Summit shows that Japan attaches great importance to cooperation with Vietnam.
Recently, Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and his spouse have had a visit to Vietnam and attended the ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of Vietnam-Japan diplomatic relations held in Hanoi on September 21.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Pham Quang Hieu said that after five decades, the Vietnam-Japan relations are better than ever. He said that leaders of the two countries have agreed to focus on implementing high-level agreements and cooperation areas.
According to Japanese Ambassador to Vietnam Yamada Takio, Japan considers Vietnam an important and necessary partner in implementing the Japanese plan “Free and Open Indo-Pacific" (FOIP).
In addition, the two countries are effectively maintaining dialogue mechanisms such as the Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee co-chaired by the two Foreign Ministers since 2007; the Vietnam-Japan Strategic Partnership Dialogue on Diplomacy, Security and Defence at Deputy Foreign Minister level since 2010; the Vietnam-Japan Defense Policy Dialogue at Deputy Minister level since November 2012; the Security Dialogue at Deputy Minister level since 2013; the Joint Committee on Trade, Energy and Industry since 2014; the Ministerial-level Agriculture Dialogue since 2014; and the Vietnam-Japan Maritime Policy Dialogue at ministerial level since December 2019.
The two sides also cooperate closely and effectively at international and regional forums, contributing to peace, stability, and development in the Asia-Pacific.
In economic relations and trade, Japan is currently one of Vietnam's most important economic partners and the first G7 country to recognise Vietnam's market economy status.
Bilateral trade turnover has increased steadily over the years. Total two-way trade turnover reached 40 billion USD in 2020; 42.7 billion USD in 2021; and 47.6 billion USD in 2022. In the first eight months of 2023, the trade turnover neared 29.16 billion USD.
Regarding investment, Japan is the third largest provider of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Vietnam after the Repubic of Korea and Singapore with 5,168 valid FDI projects with a total registered investment capital of more than 71.02 billion USD as of August 2023. Meanwhile, Vietnam has 106 investment projects in Japan with a total registered investment capital of about 19.5 million USD.
Japan is also the largest ODA provider to Vietnam, accounting for about 30% of the total capital of foreign donors for Vietnam, with 29.3 billion USD, of which non-refundable aid is 1.8 billion USD.
The two countries have seen breakthroughs in agricultural cooperation, and climate change responses. Their cooperation in culture, education and training, health care, tourism, cooperation between localities, and labour also generates positive results.
About 1 million Japanese tourists visit Vietnam yearly. About 500,000 Vietnamese people are living, working, and studying in 47 prefectures and cities in Japan.
